Are You Mine Yet?
by knick-knack-15
Summary: SEQUEL TO DON'T HOLD BACK. Troypay. New York: Still bustling with love, drama, standing ovations, backstabbing and Honey Nut Cheerios. But Sharpay is finally achieving her dream. All she needs now is a stable relationship with her roomates...
1. Prologue

**I love sequels. It's like pulling on an old pair of jeans and then realizing, holy crap, they still fit me! Thanks for all of my reviewers for the previous story to this one, and I hope it's just as successful...**

PROLOUGE 

_"Five... four... three... two..." Splashes of light and soft kisses of snow sprinkled over Troy and Gabriella. They held each others' gazes, letting the rest of the world melt away..._

His story played itself over in my head like a horror movie. He had told me with such passion. Such emotion... 

_...He would have given anything to press his lips against hers. After all, it was the beginning of a new year. "I... I'd better go wish my mom a happy new year..." Gabriella suggested. She nervously crossed her arms as if it had become colder and tore her eyes away from Troy's. They were too beautiful_

_"Me too." Troy insisted. "I mean... my mom, not yours." he added stupidly..._

Gabriella had no idea how unbelievably lucky she really was. 

_..."I'll call you!" he offered, whipping out his cell phone. As he registered her number after snapping a picture of her, he didn't take the time to notice Gabriella swiftly move away. "You know, it was really fun singing with you. I've never done anything like this..." But by then, she was gone. He looked down to his cell phone screen and saw her smile..._

"Seven... six... five... four..." It was almost as if the story was retelling itself, but this time, I was Gabriella. I was the one with the happy ending. 

"Hey... are you okay?" A comforting voice asked next to me. 

_...Her wavy brown hair tumbled down her shoulders. She gave a knee-weakening smile with no effort. "Gabriella..." Troy said her name again. It felt sweet..._

"Sharpay?" 

_...He knew that he would never meet such an amazing girl ever again. But what he didn't know was that it was only the beginning. That he would be the one to change the fates of every Wildcat to come..._

That's why I hated Gabriella. She changed Troy. I looked up to warm eyes. "Three... Two...One..." A flurry of brilliant light and color spun, lighting up Times Square. This was _our _start.And in the midst of the millions of people, greeting the new year, I pulled him down by the shoulders, forcefully pressing my lips to his. These were _our_ memories. 

"Sharpay, I..." 

I hushed him, forgetting my jealousy. Forgetting my struggling career. That exact moment on New Year's Eve in New York City belonged to _him_. 

**I really love confusing you people. Leave a review so I can continue!**


	2. The Red Extinguishes

**Hey, folks. Sorry for the long wait. PLEASE PM me or leave a review with any suggestions or ideas, because they just might be put into consideration.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own** **the Macarena, Megan Hilty, Joe Mantello, the Oriental Theater, or High School Musical **

**A word of advice.**

**NEVER accidentally sneeze Honey Nut Cheerios all over your prudent mother. She may assume that you did it on purspose and ground you from your best friend's Sweet Sixteen, which is the party of the frekkin century.**

An electronic rendition of the Macarena suddenly punctured my dreams. Slowly, I was pulled back to reality as I groaned and rolled over in the bed that I had become accustomed to. I didn't know who had called my cell phone but I was going to murder them for interrupting my sleep. I rolled over again to face my nightstand and blaring cellphone to check the caller ID.

It was Megan Hilty.

And she was calling at 9:45 in the morning.

On January third.

I was about ready to drop my phone and fall back asleep until truth hit me hard. I sprang up in bed, wide-eyed and alert. Megan Hilty was calling me at 9:45 AM on January third. I concealed my frustrated, frightened squeal as I opened my phone. "Hello?" My voice came quiet. On the other end of the line, the familiar shouts of angry executives almost drowned her out.

"Where the hell are you?" As a role model to some and a goddess to others, Megan Hilty _never _cursed. Never. I knew that I must have done the worst thing imaginable in the business to make a Broadway star curse. "Joe Mantello and all of his important friends are already here, waiting for _you_."

_"So what do you say? Can you swing by my office after New Year's?" _Those were his exact words on Christmas Day. All of the planning and coordinating that had gone into arranging a meeting for me to see Joe Mantello again had been flushed down the toilet. I sprang out of bed, desperately pulling on my wrinkled clothes that I had been forgotten on the floor. "Ohmygosh, I can't believe that I forgot! I'm coming, Megan, stall as long as you can..."

"Whatever." Megan gave an exasperated sigh on the other end before hanging up. I quickly slipped into my shoes, never noticing the stirring body still on the bed until he sat up in bed and gave me that same knee-weakening smile that had gotten me into his bed in the first place.

"Where are you off to?" Confidence threaded his voice, making me only angrier. I grabbed my car keys and flew out his bedroom door. And I never looked back.

The biting Chicago air only made the morning as bitter as ever. How could I have let something as stupid as infatuation interfere with my dream? Opinions had been twisted, jobs had been lost, hearts had been broken, and tons of asses had been busted just to get me where I was, and I wasn't about to ruin it... "Talk fast, I'm in a hurry." I frantically waved a hand in the crisp air, hoping to earn the attention of any speeding taxi and held my cell phone tightly to my ear with the other "Troy?" A cab screeched to a halt at the curb before me.

"Sharpay, I know you're busy or whatever, but you can't hang up. This is important. _Really _important..." though most of my attention was on the yelling taxi driver in front of me, I triend my best to listen to what Troy had to say. "This is about us..." This just wasn't the time for Troy to experience one of his pathetic guilt trips about _us _and the... flame that had been sparked over Christmas Eve. I sighed and swung open the car door, escaping the cold.

_Us_. The same horrific memory of _us _suddenly replayed in my head... over and over again. The way I emerged from the upscale bathrooms of the Oriental Theater, trying my best to hold back tears. The way my career flashed before me. The way he had his arms wide open. The way I let that cursed pregnancy test be forgotten on the carpet...

**Hmmm... seem like a bunch of individual events that need to be tied together? I'll make you a deal. Leave me an awesome review and we'll most definitely go places with this...**

**Ashley's Fool- Yes! I'm _glad _someone actually wanted a sequel. I was a little iffy at first but things change.**

**corbinbleuis4evasexc- Now that you mention it, I really _do_ like to confuse people. I hope I've further twisted your thoughts with this chapter.**

**Mac'squeaky- Of _course _it's Troypay forever and ever! Seriously, check my profile, I wouldn't have it any other way.**

**Tammii92- That is the _best _part about starting stories in awkward places. It takes a while to understand, and you have to read it over and over again...**

**xxAnnaxx- Thanks for liking 'Don't Hold Back' I don't know yet if this story will have such a great response, but PM me with any ideas you have, because they'll only make the story better. **

**actingalexis13- I most definitely will be continuing. Thanks for the review, and you REALLY need to update "Confessions of a Broken Heart" before I pull my hair out!**

** Aya Kurayami- -laughs hysterically- yo. I'm on it.**


	3. The Hope That the Green Ignites

**Sorry I've disappeared off of the face of the earth.**

**Things have been really hard lately with what's been going on at Virginia Tech and all.**

"Like I said, Troy, make it fast." The colors and distractions of the Chicago life blended together, creating one mass of chaos outside of my taxi window. Though my thoughts were split between Troy, where to stop the cab driver, and my career that was hanging by a thread, I still managed to catch the sympathy in Troy's voice.

"It's about... it's about everything you've left behind, Sharpay."

"Troy, I left those things behind for a reason. This is what I've always wanted. And nothing... not even a... a... _fling _can change that." Even I caught the sting in my words, those words that cut deep. Not only did I detect how bitchy I sounded, but how dishonest.

I was lying to myself.

Over the reason why I really did leave the New York life, over the reason I wasn't returning any of Gabriella's calls, over the reason that I couldn't even speak to Ryan about what I was dealing with: regret. Humiliation. _Regret._

"Sharpay, how can you _lie _to me?" Any trace of sensitivity Troy was feeling before suddenly vanished. "How can you try and tell me that what happened was nothing more than a fling, nothing more than something that just... _happened?_ You just can't..."

"Troy, you don't know what I'm going through..."

"But I want to! I've called you everyday since you left, dammit, trying to understand what you're thinking, what's going on inside that beautiful head of yours, and you just won't..."

The red numbers of my taxi fare slowly rose, heartbeat pounding in my ears, fingertips trembling as I attempted to handle my cell phone as gracefully as possible. I wanted nothing more than to never stop. Tear right out of this new problem I had created. But the more thought I put into running away, the louder Troy's explanation flooded into my ears. Only a selection of words registered as the chaos outside of my window seemed more comforting than the conversation I was having at that very moment.

"Beautiful... want you to come home... try life here... understand what you're going through... I _love _you Sharpay, I really do..."

"Troy, stop!" My throat burned in attempt to keep back the tears that wanted nothing more than to ruin my makeup. "Don't say that to me unless you really mean it!" By now, I had caught the weary eyes of the taxi driver, who watched as an episode of _Days of Our Lives _unfolded in his backseat. "Why won't you just leave me alone? I'm trying to be what I want to be..."

"It's not that easy, Sharpay. You're a part of me now. I just can't get rid of you..."

And this hurt the most.

"Look, Troy, I've got to go." And before I let the tremor locked in my throat became a series of thunderous sobs, I closed my cell phone, closed up a private part of my life, a world that only belonged to Troy and I. "Stop the cab." I stated. It was mandatory that I walked this off, feel the Chicago morning on my complexion.

Because somehow, being out there in the Great Wide Somewhere, where everything was possible, everything would be okay again.

As okay as anything could be, knowing that Troy would begin this heart-breaking process all over again the next day. And the next. And the day after that. I tossed a few bills into the passenger seat and leaped out of what was once an escape and onto the curb.

Of all of the stupid things I've done. This has hit the hardest.

_:Flashback:_

_"Nothing? C'mon, with the way you were screaming, that had to be more than nothing." Troy pressed pause on _Wicked _once more, trying his hardest to pry the news I had just gotten from Joe Mantello out of me._

_"Really, it's nothing important." I assured him, reliving every word that had been spoken into my phone. _This is the opportunity of a lifetime... don't give up the chance.

_And I would never dare. Never. Not even the way Troy's blue eyes bore into mine, not even the way he smiled at me, drawing my face close to his, not even the way his lips met mine in an earth-rupturing kiss would keep me from giving up the chance. And as we stumbled off of the couch, crashing to the ground in this unforgettable whirlwind of passion, losing ourselves for the second time, all I could think of was the way life was going to take off._

**Talk about a filler chapter. And yeah, I know, it still doesn't make sense. But I'm working on it. Just hang on. And review!**

**Aya Kurayami- -laughs at Aya's "awesome" sense of humor-.**

**ZASHLEYROXZ-TROYPAYROXZS-4EVER- Hooray! You don't understand what's going on! That is THE. BEST. Feeling in the world... :sigh: confusing people rocks.**

**AlwaysxAddicted- One, I love your username. Two :laughs like a little laugher: I REALLY hope I can update soon! omgomgomg!**

**A Dawn Delivery- Alright, alright, I admit... I _have _dropped off the side of the earth, but I plan on sticking around to finish this story. I laughed sheepishly when I read your review, because you're _right_, I _do _have about 234980234 projects that are just hanging around, but I'm about to make that 2520352342468. I really need an intervention.**

**Even _I _had my inhibitions about "Don't Hold Back". It seemed _so _corny and _so _out-there when I began. But those set-in-New York stories really _do _have that fun atmosphere, and I guess that's what made it successful.**

**Uergh. I hate when juices run thin. But do you know what would make me ultra happy? If you start "Count the Heartbeats." You wrote two lines only on your profile page, and I'm already drawn in. Do you HEAR me? TWO. LINES. I'll be waiting!**

**dancerlittle- TWICE? Haha, that's amazing. Thanks for the review, and I'll try my very hardest, with every fiber of my being to update soon.**

**Ashley's Fool- I cracked up when I read that shoveling part. That's classic! You need to update...well... EVERY story you've written, because I'm close to going insane!**

**Dead-Sexi-Zashley-Fanx3- Wow, I'm pretty much in love with your username. I'm flattered that I'm confusing you, and the less you know, the funnier for me!**

**The Summer Breeze- I don't know... IS Sharpay pregnant? Or is she not? That's STILL the question, but all questions will be answered along with the story. Thanks for the review!**

**actingalexis13- Why, yes, I DID leave out major details to create a dramatic story. That, and it's just really funny to hear people say, "Gah! It's confusing me! My brain hurts!" Thanks for the review!**

**Jenny1991- I really want to know what happens next too! I have the entire plot out in my mind, but I don't know how to organize it. Thanks for the review!**

**XBeautifulbabe405X- Thanks for the review! PM me, we really need to talk about the next chapter of Sex, Lies, and Vidoetape.**

**bighdancer1126- Thanks! Will you please update A Few Dreams and A Birdie soon? I'm DYING!**

**YagottaluvHSM**- **Yeah, yeah, well, now it's May, and I feel totally stupid about leaving everyone hanging. Thanks for the review, and I'll try harder to update sooner.**


	4. Want to Run Away?

**Has anyone seen Hairspray yet?**

**That movie was the SHIT.**

**With Zac or without him, that movie was genuinely good. Zac was like an added bonus. And that scene where he licks his fingers to slick back his hair?**

**Damn.**

**Orgasmic. Simply orgasmic.**

**Disclaimer- I no own Honey Nut Cheerios, South Michigan Avenue, or High School Musical**

_"Dammit, Troy... get _off _of me..." How did we always end up this way? Pants unbuttoned, shirts across the room, unanswered questions, and abstract feeling of loneliness, emptiness, and somehow... ecstacy?_

_"I like it just the way we are..." Of course he did, with his nose buried soundly in my disheveled hair, hands in places they shouldn't be, even after the act was done. I squirmed beneath him, thinking of my brother only a few feet above us. I thought of Gabriella, imagining her sleeping peacefully..._

_"I'm serious, you're suffocating me..."_

_"Really? You weren't saying that when I had my hands down your pants..."_

_And all I could do was smile politely, but aggressively push Troy off of me. We had hooked up twice in a span of about 23 hours, I realized. What were we doing? What were we _becoming? _Were we merely going to be each other's outlets, and nothing more? Just two people that we could depend on to bring us to orgasm? "I should be getting to bed."_

_"You never answered my question, you know." Troy caught me by the wrist as I came to my knees. "Who was on the phone that got you so worked up?"_

_I awkwardly, hastily drew my jeans up to my waist. "It was _nothing,_ okay? How many times do I have to tell you that?" I told the clasp of my jeans. Troy helped me to my feet. "I need some sleep. It's back to the Classifieds section for me."_

_As I ran a hand through my tangling blonde hair, and caught Troy's gaze, it was what lived behind his blue eyes that made me freeze in place. What was he thinking? What was responsible for the quirky look on his face? "I love you."_

_"Troy, don't feel obligated to..."_

_"I don't. I mean it. From the bottom of my heart."_

_Though my facial expression held no emotion, I was a jumble of nerves beneath the surface. Sure, I had used the same words at exactly 1:22 AM that morning, but they had been fueled by anger, frustration and the drive to make Troy Bolton understand what I was feeling at the moment. But he stood before me in that very instant, messy brown hair, unbuttoned pants, still somewhat turned on, and he was 100 percent _real.

_"Look, I _really _need to sleep." I excused the issue, tossed it behind me as if it weren't as heavy as it really was. Us... him and me... Troy and Sharpay actually being the real deal was too much to handle at 11:30 PM. "Uhh... goodnight, Troy. Merry Christmas."_

_And as I tiptoed up the stairs, as I left him behind, as I closed my door behind me, and as I shimmied into my bed, all I could think of was how overwhelming the entire situation was. I remembered a time when I was more than eager to begin a relationship with Troy, and now, I was actually... _hesitating?

_One last goodnight to the tarnished moon before I closed my eyes and forgot my life for a few hours._

There were a few stray Honey Nut Cheerios in the bottom of my pockets, I realized. As I had hugged myself, protected myself from the nipping Chicago air, and stuffed my hands deep into my coat pockets, a few Cheerios were caught in my palm. They were stale, ancient, a part of my history. And I laughed.

This laugh was initiated in the back of my throat. It was a little tickle, but grew into a giggle that penetrated the lips. The history, the memories, they were so close, so real, that I had to laugh. I _did _laugh. There, in the middle of South Michigan Avenue where I could have easily been run over, I laughed. At a handful of cereal. I forgot about Troy just for a moment, I decided to forget everything I was going through and laugh at the tiny Os in my palm, covered in lint.

I had to walk to my meeting, I realized, and I was pretty far away.

Time to move on.

_My knuckles lightly penetrated my brother's bedroom door the next morning. Sadly, I had to be brought back to reality after a few hours of sleep. I was _me _again. Slowly, the door opened, revealing Ryan sleepily hunched against the doorframe. "What do you want?" his voice barely above a whisper, but still as vicious as ever, I looked over his shoulder to see a slender frame under his blankets and pillows._

_"Sorry..." I half-heartedly apologized. "I just really need to talk to you about something."_

_"Can you make it fast? I've got things I need to get to." The tiny lump in Ryan's sheets stirred, and locks of dark blonde hair cascaded down the side of his mattress._

_"Joe Mantello called me again last night." I brought my voice to a whisper, in any case that Troy was awake. I was yet to tell him, because I didn't know _how _to tell him. "They're offering me the part, Ryan, They're actually giving me the opportunity to be Galinda."_

_Ryan's green eyes suddenly came to life as he pulled me into a hug, congradulating me, congradulating himself on how genius it was of him to suggest the idea of auditioning. But our bro-sis sappy lovefest came to a fast close at the soft whimpering coming from under Ryan's blanket. "RyRy" was needed elsewhere._

_His door shut in my face and the fact that everyone seemed to be moving on settled in. Ryan was all of a sudden a manwhore, Gabriella had grown independent since her last boyfriend broke her heart, Troy was as fucking desirable as ever, and I..._

_I..._

_Somehow, through the potential glitz and glam, through the possibility of me becoming a huge name, I never failed to be the same old Sharpay Evans. _

_"...malnutrition mean _anything _to you, Bolton? All I'm saying is Honey Nut Cheerios 24/7 isn't healthy."_

_I tiptoed to the overlook, wiggling my way into Gabriella and Troy's conversation on the living room couch. He was reclined against the worn leather, a bowl of sogging Honey Nut Cherrios in his lap. She politely sat next to him, and they conversed, as if they didn't have a history, as if they barely knew each other._

_"It's just an old habit of mine. Sharpay started it."_

_I smiled to myself, temporarily forgetting that only a few hours before, Troy had screwed with my mind and the way I felt about him. How was I supposed to go down there and face the two of them _now? _But still, the faint memory of bringing cereal home for dinner for the first time and the three of us vowing to never eat anything other than Honey Nut Cheerios ever again somehow made things okay. Okay enough for me to lean over the railing a little bit more and sing my good morning._

_Gabriella smiled. And if Troy was even the least bit hurt at the way I waved him away like a bad smell after he told me that he loved me, then he was doing a good job of hiding it..._

Her number flashed across the screen of my cell phone...again. She couldn't have been calling to apologize. She and I both knew fully well that we were both at fault and we both should have been able to discuss politely, so why was it almost instinct for me to hang up on her and toss my phone back into my bag? Was it because I was apprehensive to the words that were going to be said? Possibly. Maybe. Most likely.

It was almost as if I could tell what was going to be said already. I was going to be expected to beg for an apology, and she would gracefully accept. She would apologize for being so dark and secretive, and me, I would tell her she was forgiven, though I would never forget the confusion and pain she put me through.

So who is really at fault?

Did she know how much it hurt to zip up your own suitcase, knowing that you were never welcome there again? Did she ever experience the pain of having that door of opportunity shut in your face for something that was merely a mistake? No way. Not likely. Not at all.

"Shar? You probably don't want to hear this again... but I'm not giving up on you. We're going to figure this out, whether you like it or not. I'm _going _to track you down and we're _going _to talk about it..." So caught up in thought, I never realized that this phone call had been delivered to voicemail. "...Shar... just... please. I'm sorry, _he's_ sorry, Troy's sorry. When you get this, call me back. Or I'll just come and find you."

Did I even want to imagine the look of disappointment that would spread across her features, despite her openess to work this out? Did I even want to think about her reaction to the fact that I had just rolled out of _his_ bed? What was my last resort?

Run.

**So as you can see, Ryan's going to be a player in this story.**

**I'm talkin' mother effin' P-I-M-P. It doesn't have any significance in the story, but it's hella entertaining to write/read.**

**And why the hell won't Sharpay just hail another taxi?**

**Because then there would be no story. : ))**

**Hang tennn, bitches.**

**AlwaysxAddicted- You're welcommme. : ) I'll try my hardest to update, but in the mean time, you should totally write a Troypay.**

**Jenny1991- Looks like somebody's catching on... Thanks for the review, and I'll try my hardest for each update to unfold a little more of Sharpay's story...**

**Aya Kurayami- You said, and I quote, "-leaves you a review that says, "Awesome."- And that made me laugh.**

**SexyBack- You don't realize how happy it makes me when people tell me, "I'm confused." It can be summed up as the BEST FEELING in the WORLD. I hope to confuse you more in later chapters. Thanks for the review!**

**Dead.Sexi.Zashley.Fan- And I. Love. You. New York-set stories amplifies everything. Really. Now, it's 4567873232452457293 times better than it would have been if it were set somewhere else. Yeah, Troy's pretty much and idiot right now, and Sharpay's being a hoebag. But they're still so darn cute. Thanks for the review!**

**TehFuzzyPenguin- Oh, I remember those foggy days, BEFORE Wicked, BEFORE being a chenofreak. It's just all too addicting, and the drama makes it about 258305972592 times better. This is only the beginning, and I can guarantee that this is probably the most elaborate plot I've ever had for a story. AND HOW COULD I EVER LEAVE OUT THE BIG CHENO?**

**No.**

**Never.**

**Not gonna happen.**

**Thanks for the review. :)**


	5. Want to Ditch This Life?

**So what totally sucks is that school started again.**

**The only positive thing is that our male population, like, DOUBLED.**

**Ha.**

**I don't own- As the World Turns, Honey Nut Cheerios, Joe Mantello**

_I winced at the way she tenderly cradled the telephone, speaking soft words occasionally, giggling madly routinely. It was odd, knowing that the same man that had caused her so much anguish was making her smile and laugh in such a way. After all, it _was _her ex-boyfriend. It _was _the guy that had kicked her out on a moment's notice, causing her to turn to Troy, Ryan, and me. He was the reason she was there that very morning._

_What was Gabriella thinking? What were they talking about that made her so bright? I looked away from her for a split second and into the kitchen to see Troy, his nose hidden by a school book. I suddenly felt his hands in wrong places and heard the way he told me he loved me..._

_"No Honey Nut Cheerios for dinner tonight..." Gabriella sang after hanging up the phone. "Carter's coming over for dinner. Everything has to be perfect." a dreamy smile graced her face as she dropped onto the couch next to me. "He lives in Queens, you know."_

_Oh, I knew. Only about three weeks earlier when Gabriella crash-landed back into my life, all she could talk about was Carter... until the one night that he dumped her in such a heartless way..._

_"I think we're going to get back together." she sighed before leaping off of the couch. I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit jealous of Gabriella. Her love life was beautifully simple, rarely was there a twist or a turn. But my relationship with Troy was just like an episode of_ As the World Turns. _"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Joe Mantello called when I was on the phone with Carter. He wants you to call back as soon as possible."_

_I looked back to the kitchen to see that Troy was fully listening to our conversation. "Joe Mantello? I thought they didn't like your audition."_

_But I simply, nervously ignored him, lunging for the telephone. As I thundered up the stairs, I could have sworn I heard Troy call after me, but my heart was thumping too loudly in my ears to decipher anything. What if he had heard too much? What if he _knew? _I had decided to tell Troy that there was a possibility that I would be leaving when I was _ready_. Because I knew it would hurt too much. But now..._

_The ring of the telephone reverberated off of the walls of the bathroom. It was so taunting, knowing that famous, successful hands would reach for the phone to talk to _me

_"Sharpay? Where on earth have you been all morning? I've been trying to get a hold of you. Never mind then, I called to inform you that I've gotten five different calls from representatives that were at your audition and were asking for your number and... hello? Sharpay, are you there? Are you getting all of this?__"_

_"I'm here, go on..." There was so much for me to take in, but excited goosebumps unconsciously took over my body as my clammy hands handled the phone. In less than 24 hours, my dreams seemed to have locked in place..._

_"...found this great little apartment complex out here in Chicago for you. I was wondering if you could fly in to take a look at the place on the 28th. Megan Hilty lives only a few blocks away..."_

_The unmistakable feeling of lonliness suddenly rocked my body at the thought. It was actually happening. I was actually leaving. "That's great." I managed to croak just as a forceful knock came at the door. "Uh... is it possible for you to call me back tomorrow? There's something really important I need to do right now."_

_"More important than your future? Your _dreams?_"_

_My thoughts swam in my head at the question. Was Troy more important than any of this? Was Ryan? Was Gabriella? Performing had always been my entire life, and such an opportunity was being given to me... at the wrong time... at the wrong place. Troy knocked again on the other side of the door again, probably wondering what kind of secret I was hiding._

_"Your flight leaves in two days, Sharpay. There are some things we need to discuss..."_

_"But now's not the time, alright?" I pushed. "Thanks for everything, but I'll call back tomorrow first thing." I assured him._

_Joe Mantello emitted a sigh of disappointment before hanging up without even a goodbye. Trembling fingers pressed the 'end' button on the telephone and I slowly eased open the bathroom door to see Troy on the other side. His blue eyes held question instead of frustration for some reason. "What's your problem?" were the first words Troy Bolton had spoken to me since his 'I love you from the bottom of my heart' spew from the night before._

_"Nothing." I quickly replied, maneuvering my way around him. I swung down the stairs, snatching at my jacket as I eased into the foyer, flinging open the front door, and hastening into the unwelcoming afternoon._

Since when had I felt like such an outsider? I hugged my winter coat tighter to my body, ignoring the irritating way my cell phone vibrated against my hip for the third time that day. Who could it be this time? I didn't want to know, just kept walking, the sound of honking horns and speeding cars tearing through Chicago's atmosphere. I only wanted to remember the way that I had laughed at cereal. Because it had been the first time that I had laughed in a long time.

My walked slowed at the the picture of Joe Mantello's angry face and Megan Hilty's frustrated expression. Had I completely screwed everything up? Had everything that had been going on effected what was right there? _My golden opprtunity_.

I could only find out if I kept walking forward.

_It was snowing again by the time I jammed my house key into its lock. By the warm smell of something homecooked that overtook the night air, I could tell that I really had been out late, and that Gabriella had been let loose in the kitchen. As I entered the loft, the heater blasting welcoming warm air on my face, I couldn't help but overhear the laughter that came from the living room._

_I kicked off my snow-caked shoes and meandered into the living room, to see Troy, Ryan and Gabriella placed on a mysterious man's lap. "Hey, Sharpay!" she greeted. "You've been gone for hours, where have you been?"_

_I leaned against the living room's doorframe, inspecting the way her brown eyes seemed to twinkle with something I couldn't quite place. Why did the room smell like cinnamon and honey? And _what _was she cooking that made me suddenly ravenous? Gabriella sprang out of the man's lap, bringing him to his feet to introduce me. "Carter..." even by the way she said his name, it was obvious that he was something special. "This is my roommate. Sharpay."_

_His lips immediately curled into a playful grin as he shook my hand. "Oh, I know who you are." I dismissed his mysterious comment, only because I was stuck on the way his blue eyes shimmered in a way I had never seen before. He held on to my hand a little longer than he was supposed to._

_"We were just about to start dinner without you." Gabriella offered, ushering her boyfriend into the dining room. "What were you up to?"_

_A lot of thinking. A lot of pondering. A lot of worrying. A lot of shopping. "Not much." I stated simply, taking a chair across from Carter. Troy stationed himself next to me, as if eating something other than Honey Nut Cheerios wasn't enough of a distraction, he had to sit next to me and make me breathe in his beautiful-smelling air and feel his presence._

_He side glanced me before looking back to the heap of lasagna Gabriella had put on his plate. I slouched slightly in my seat, only to get caught up in the way Carter was staring at me. He had a strong-cut chin and dirty blonde hair that glowed in the candelight of the candles Gabriella had placed in the center of the table._

_"So." he grinned again. "Congradulations."_

_I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Was he talking to _me_? "I'm sorry?" by then, I had alarmed everyone at the table. Gabriella's brows knit in confusion as she laced her hand into Carter's. Ryan looked more scared than anything else. And Troy... Troy pretended as if I wasnt even there, taking a hearty sip of water._

_"Congradulations on getting the part of Galinda. I saw your place out in Chicago. It's pretty nice. Doesn't your flight go out..."_

_"Sharpay, you got the part?!" Gabriella's voice rose in surprise and excitement. "How come you didn't..."_

_"Gabriella, you didn't tell her?"_

_"I would have, if she had told me..."_

_My fists clenched in nervous fists underneath the table. My eyes darted in Troy's direction again, and he actually looked back, bewilderment etched across his perfect features. "I was going to tell you..." I seemed to be talking more to him than enyone else at the table. He looked away again. "But, Carter, how on earth did you know?"_

_"My father's on the Wicked Creative Team. I knew your name sounded familiar when I heard it. So congradulations." He smiled his perfect smile and my stomach plummeted. I almost forgot that Gabriella was there, holding his hand and that Troy was next to me, ignoring me like I deserved. Ryan seemed too preoccupied with eating something other than cereal to care about what was going on._

_"Thanks." I smiled back and Troy's eyes burned me for the third time. I could practically feel his disbelief radiating off of me, and I could tell that he had had enough my the way he pushed his chair back away from the dinner table._

_"Excuse me for a moment." he muttered bitterly before stalking out of the kitchen. I took off after him, hoping to catch him as he bumbled up the winding staircase._

_"Troy!" I hissed as he opened up his bathroom door. He halted in the doorway, hunched against the frame. "Troy, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you... but..."_

_"But what? Were you going to wait until you were actually gone?" He sounded surprisingly calm. If I had been in his position, harsh words would have been spat, things would have been thrown, utter chaos would have exploded. He took a deep breath before turning to look at me, finally. "When are you going to Chicago, Sharpay?"_

_It pained me to say it. It was if the words were locked to my throat, that if they were released... "The day after tomorrow." I breathed. __His expression was unreadable, but his mouth turned in a frown. "But I'll be back soon, I swear!" I scrambled to explain myself. I advanced towards him. "Troy... you can't be angry. This is what I wanted to do with my life, remember?"_

_He nodded plainly. "But I... but I told you that I love you. And you told me that you..." my stomach twisted and turned at his words. I never knew that anything could hurt this much. I regretted ever using those words. I regretted ever letting Christmas Eve happen at all. Because being there, having his sad blue eyes dig into mine was painful. "But obviously, you didn't mean it."_

_"Of course I...!" but I bit back my tongue. Why make it ache anymore?_

_Troy gave an empty laugh. "Oh, come on, Sharpay. You're about to become the world's best thing. Why would you need me?" he took a few steps away from me, and the atmosphere suddenly felt a thousand degrees colder. "Besides, you and Carter look pretty cozy already." he spat._

_"Troy!" I exclaimed. "Give me a little credit! You really think that any guy that walks by can steal my heart and get in my pants?" The way his eyebrows rose in an obvious kind of way suddenly made my skin burn in fury. Not because he was basically calling me a skank, not because I the more we discussed this, the less he seemed to care that I was leaving, but because he was actually sort of right. "What the hell has gotten into you?"_

_"You have!" he shouted. All scraps of conversation that had been coming from the dining room suddenly came to a stop. I could barely look at him as his true thoughts were spilled. "Sharpay, we've been over this. I _love_ you, alright? But go, alright? Go become famous and let Carter seduce you, and you'll live happily ever after!"_

_"He's Gabriella's _boyfriend,_ dammit!" my chin trembled terribly and the tears that came were tears of frustration. Disappointment. And actually heartache. "I just..."_

_"Stop, trying to explain yourself, okay?" by then, Troy's bedroom door was open and he was shouting his final words, not caring who downstair was listening. "The point is is that I'm done with all of this. You made me feel a way I never thought possible, and now you're cutting me out. Good luck with your career." and if I had seen correctly, Troy's beautiful eyes were glazed over with hurt tears as well. But I could have been wrong. His door slammed so fluidly, it had been difficult to actually tell._

I remembered everything I had packed in my biggest suitcase two days later. I remembered the way I pressed a kiss to Ryan's cheek and Gabriella's sympathetic hug. She was aware of the negative vibes that radiated between Troy and me, but she had never learned the details: the L word, the S word, and her own boyfriend. I shivered as I came to the halfway point of South Michigan Avenue.

Joe Mantello called wondering where I was. Megan Hilty called wondering where I was. Kristen Chenoweth called wondering if I had stolen a jar of peanut butter from her cupboards. Call after call, Worry after worry. Was I ever going to get over this? Was I ever going to move forward with Gabriella, and Troy, and even... _him? _The Chicago sky had never been so full of opportunities.

"Hey, sis. Ryan. I haven't heard from you in days. I was just wondering if everything was going okay, besides from the usual love rectanlge you've created? Call me when you get this, I need to hear your voice and less of Troy's pining for you. Later."

The warm air of my hearty laugh collided with was fhe cold atmosphere. An unwelcoming cloud formed.

Was it finally time to stop ditching this life?

**So for some reason I just can't comprehend, Carter in my mind is Jonathan Taylor Thomas.**

**But what the hey.**

**Review, darlings!**


	6. All of These Mistakes

**Hey.**

**It's been like what, 20 years?**

**  
****I don't own- Joe Mantello, Caffe Baci, Stephen Schwartz, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Paris Hilton, Megan Hilty, Kristin Chenoweth, the Wicked Creative team, the Oriental Theater, **

_For the amount of time that I had known Joe Mantello, I had known that he was a dork, but this was just ridiculous. The way he gushed over the fine design of my new apartment in Chicago was beyond nerdy. I stuffed my frozen fists deeper into my pockets and sighed. It had been cold in New York, but it was freezing in Chicago._

_"So what do you think, Sharpay?" Joe suddenly asked. I tilted my head toward the ceiling and noticed how low it was, compared to the loft back home. How could I be accustomed to such a confined space?_

_"It's perfect," I said in spite of myself. Just then, Megan Hilty came bounding down from the upper level of my new home, a bright smile glued to her face._

_"Shar, you've gotta see the upstairs, it's amazing!" she swooned. "Two bedrooms, an en suite bathroom, I even found a bottle of nail polish in one of the cabinets!" _

_I moved across the hardwood floor, and it groaned under my weight. "How wonderful." I said flatly. All I was really interested in was going to my hotel in the heart of Chicago, taking a long hot bath after my flight, getting into my pajamas, calling Ryan, and going to bed. Little did I know, Joe had plenty of other plans for me._

_"You can explore the rest later, Sharpay. We have dinner reservations at eight at Caffe Baci with the rest of the Wicked Creative team. That gives you just enough time to change clothes..." he suddenly looked down at my pink pajama pants, red sweatshirt, and disheveled hair. "And do something with your hair."_

_"I'll help!" Megan suddenly squeaked, and I couldn't have been any happier to have a Broadway actress ready to do damage control._

I shivered inside of my peacoat and my stomach flip-flopped in that odd way it used to whenever Troy was around. But now, it was for a completely different reason. I awkwardly stood now in front of the Ford's Center of Performing Arts double doors. I remembered the first time I was there. The way I was ready to vomit, the way, Ryan had to coach me through petty little text messages.

Things had changed since then.

_The inside of Caffe Baci was warm and welcoming the spicy smell of brewing lattes and the warmth of Megan Hilty's hand in mine were both exactly what I needed at the time. I never had gotten the chance to call Ryan since my flight landed, and I was simply exhausted. The pinches I got on the elbow from Megan were the only things keeping me awake._

_We slithered past leather booths until we arrived at a VIP area, simply drenched with executives. A few of the important faces looked familiar, and my knees locked. These were the people that were to secure my future. "Sharpay!" Mr. Mantello stood up from a booth, introducing the representatives that sat with him. There were so many names and titles and so many hands to shake, that they were all forgotten. I wanted nothing more than a large caramel latte heaped with whipped cream and a chair to sit in._

_But I suddenly snapped to attention at the sight of a familiar young man with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair and a strong cut chin. Under the dim lighting I saw him conversing with some of the members of the Wicked Creative team, and I could have sworn that it was..._

_"Carter Schwartz. Nephew of Stephen Schwartz, the composer. Son of William Schwartz, member of the creative team," Megan Hilty whispered in my ear. "What. A. God. Sharpay! He's looking right at you!" Megan hissed._

_And he was. His blue eyes cut in my direction and I could have sworn he winked. The way he hunched over his coffee was hot enough, the wink was totally unnecessary. I eased out a breath, reminding myself of the negative consequences of being unfaithful. Troy. I had Troy. Sort of._

_"Let's go talk to him," Megan said through her glamorous smile. She steered me in the direction of his cozy booth were he was speaking with who I assumed to be his father, and forced me down against the leather of the booth next to him. He looked nowhere near surprised to see me, almost as if he had planned our entire run-in. The mere thought made me squirm in my seat and toy with the ends of my blonde wavy hair._

_"Carter," I stated. He smiled._

_"Nice to see you again, Sharpay." He looked so professional, but the guy that I spoke with over candlelight and lasagna back in New York still existed in his eyes. "This is my father, William Schwartz." he introduced a man with salt-and-pepper hair and shivering blue eyes that stood out prominently. "Dad, Sharpay auditioned for the role of Galinda a few..."_

_"How could I forget?" he was suddenly reaching across the table and shaking my hand violently. "Stupendous! Amazing! I can't wait to see what else you've got..." Megan suddenly crammed her tiny butt into the leather area next to me, and my delicate shoulder made contact with Carter's. I stole a whiff of him, and instantly thought of Troy and an unfamiliar cologne that would probably be on his bathroom shelf back home._

_"Willyy..." Megan said his name in a knowing way. I wished that someday soon, these people that seemed so professional and inevitable would treat me as old friends like they did with Megan Hilty. "How are you this evening?"_

_I found Mr. Schwartz's next droning statements to be my que to politely excuse myself and order my desired caramel latte. "Excuse me for just a moment," I muttered, forcing Megan out of her seat so I was able to get by._

_"I'll go with you!" Carter leaped out of the booth next and I gave a sigh of distress. This was not what I needed. I quickly began in a random direction, wherever the scent of coffee came strongest, but it wasn't enough to lose Carter. He was suddenly gently taking my elbow and leading me in the opposite direction. "You look like you could use a latte." his voice kissed my ear. "This way."_

_I succumbed, and he lead me to a marble bar in a more secluded area of the Caffe Baci. My stomach flip-flopped as he knocked his knuckles against the counter in a casual way and a waiter came running. Why was he suddenly treating me this way? What about _Gabriella?

_"Caramel latte, extra whipped cream?" he asked._

_"_God, _yes." I found myself saying. He chuckled and I pursed my glossed lips together in an embarrassed confused way. How the hell did he know that?_

_"So," he said. "Are you ready to live this kind of lifestyle?" he suddenly asked me. I felt as though I was in my first interview, except the interviewer had a striking resemblance to Jonathan Taylor Thomas and was dating one of my closest friends._

_"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked._

_"Meeting executive types, being interviewed, late rehearsal nights, reserved spots for pictures of you on the front of tabloids?"_

_"I'm going to be a Broadway star, not the next Paris Hilton." I argued. He laughed. I laughed. My shoulders fell slightly and I finally felt more relaxed. But I was dropped in heaven when a waiter slid a ceramic mug in front of me, pillows of whipped cream mounting off of it, steaming coffee hidden below. I almost wanted to hug Carter, but stopped myself. I took a polite sip, the scalding coffee burning my tongue and my throat. But it was so fucking satisfying at the same time._

_As I placed the mug back on the counter, Carter let out his charming laugh again. "What is it this time?" I rolled my chocolate brown eyes._

_"You've got a little..." he brushed his index finger against my top lip. "...whipped cream." I shied away from him, the tiniest hint of blush crawling onto my cheeks. There was something about Carter Schwartz delicately touching my face... it probably had to do with the fact that he was my best friend's boyfriend._

_I went for the hot mug again, but Carter stopped me. "You know, if you're going to live in Chicago, you're going to have to know your city well," he explained. "And why not learn from a Chicago native?"_

_"What are you implying?" I eyed him suspiciously._

_"Let's get the heck out of here."_

The looming doors of the Oriental Theater were wide open. How late for this meeting was I? The entire theater was dim and empty, the red carpet was freshly vacuumed, but the essence of the performers before me still lived. I remembered meeting _the _Megan Hilty and _the _Kristin Chenoweth in this exact room, when the starlight had been injected into my eyes.

My phone vibrated once more.

Where did the magic go?

"Security just informed us that you've entered the building. Where _are _you?" Megan Hiltly barked on the other end. It was odd, knowing the Megan Hilty that had welcomed me into the Wicked family could become so stony.

"I'm coming," I croaked.

I looked into the dark room once more before continuing down the hallway. It was all symbolic somehow, right down to the ruby velvet of the seats of the Oriental Theater.

I was leaving what I once knew.

_Do you remember the last time you were caught in the snow with an attractive male, Sharpay? I asked myself as we traveled away from the Caffe Baci. You were with Troy, I told myself. It was right after you gave yourself to him on Christmas Eve and you and Gabriella and Ryan went to Serendipity's as a big happy family. It was snowing then. I shuddered slightly as Carter and I walked in silence for half a block. Snow coated his well-managed dirty blonde hair._

_"So," he started again. "How is everyone back in New York?"_

_A simple picture of everyone back at the loft came to mind. Ryan would be kissing his most current hook-up at the front door, Gabriella would be thinking of Carter and disassembling the Christmas tree. Troy would be studying for the exams that he already took. "Fine, I guess." I shrugged._

_"Gabriella hasn't said anything?"_

_"What?"_

_"About us getting back together?"_

_I was silent._

_Carter sighed and steered himself a little closer. I needed the body heat. "She didn't tell you that we made up recently?" Words were taped down to my throat and I was unable to speak, so he continued. "I used to be a real-jerk off," he admitted. I felt as though I was becoming a part of Gabriella's private life, but I couldn't _not _listen._

_"Why did you dump Gabriella to begin with?" I asked._

_"I told you, I was a jerk-off. Everything was just going _wrong, _and having a girl like Gabriella wasn't making anything easier. Things are even more complicated, what with her living in New York... my father moving us here... being around _you..._"_

_My mind seemed to catch his words, sending my conscience spinning. What on earth did he mean by _that? _"W-what?" I breathed. We suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, strangers pushing past us in the cold. God, those blue eyes looked too real._

_"Don't you dare try and tell me that you're not remotely attracted to me," he said so simply. The truth was, I _was. _What frightened me was the fact that only minutes before, he had confessed he was back together with Gabriella. Did he expect me to throw caution to the wind? I guess he sensed my hesitance, because is expression softened and he eased his hand into mine. "It's okay," he assured me._

_A sudden warmth filled my core as I came to realize what kind of guy Carter really was. He seemed deep and sweet and affectionate. Much like a certain basketball playing brunette I knew. Carter squeezed my hand. I squeezed his. It was enough to make me want to tear open his leather jacket, curl inside, and kiss the gorgeous frosty lips that curled into a smile. "Maybe we should head back." Carter warned._

_"But you haven't shown me the rest of the city..." I playfully whined. A wind pushed past, and goosebumps sprang, but they came from excitement._

_"Tomorrow," Carter told me. The gusts of winter air brought him closer to me._

_"Promise?" My voice came quietly. I left the next evening back for New York, back to reality, but I didn't care._

_"Promise," he confirmed with more than words, but with lips tender as a snowflake._

The highly glossed wooden doors of Joe Mantello's temporary office challenged me to open them. My future waited on the other side. A perfectly manicured hand pushed one of the doors open.

And I came face-to-face with what I had become.

**This chapter was long and draggish, and I feel stupid. If you actually read this, you must have felt sorry for me. But it's what I need for the next chapter.**

**You people rule.**

**Review... at your own risk**.


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